29 December 2007

Here We Go Again

It's that time of year, when people start to make their New Years' Resolutions. I have been mulling over a few ideas myself. However, before I get too far ahead of myself thinking about 2008, let's see how I did in 2007. Below are my resolutions in green) from last year, along with a grade:

I will sew mainly from stash. I will only allow myself to buy 1 m of fabric for each 5 m of fabric I sew up. If my stash gets any larger, I will have to buy a semi truck so I can use the trailer for storage.

Well, the good news is that I definitely maintained the 5:1 ratio. The bad news is that I bought 5 m for each 1 m sewn, instead of the other way around! I guess I am just not one to be controlled around fabric. (Quite the revelation, eh Carolyn?) Oh, and by the way, I haven't (yet) purchased a semi for my fabric, I just got more creative about my storage. GRADE: F

I will test drive all the new sewing machine feet I have bought in the past year. Theyaren't doing me much good nestled in the cute little box I bought for them - they must start earning their keep!

I had really good intentions on this one, but early in the year, I bought a new sewing machineand the feet don't fit it. However, the new machine came with a bunch of feet. So, have I worked with any of them? Um, not really.GRADE: D

I will use patterns more than once and develop some TNTs. I tend to use a pattern, keeping note of all the changes I will make the next time I use it. However, I rarely actually make the pattern again (when it comes to patterns, monogamy is not my strong point - I guess I'm just a pattern harlot).

I have sctually done prety well with this one. I now have TNT versions of all the major clothing groups (pants, skirts, jackets, T-shirts, tank tops, cardis, coats, dresses). I could easily whip up a simple, but well fitting outfit in an afternoon. GRADE: A+

I will sew at least every other day - even if it's just a single seam.

Although, I didn't always sew every other day, all year long, I did get alot of sewing done. GRADE: A+

I will sew all of the boring stuff I never want to sew, but really need to sew (like white T-shirts).

I did well with this one. I sewed up a ton of basics this year - for both my husband and me. My husband is now the proud owner of 25 short sleeve T-shirts, 5 long sleeve T-shirts and 3 pairs of sleep pants. I have augmented my short sleeve T-shirt and tank top cache admirably. GRADE: A+

So, what to resolve to do this year??? Let's see...

I'll start with fabric (why not, hope springs eternal). I'm going to be a bit more modest in my attempts at sewing down my stash this year - maybe, then I'll have a hope in heck of sticking to my plan. Here goes: I will allow myself to buy 1 m of fabric for each 2 m sewn. Wish me luck!

Now, on to patterns. I really, really want to sew up more stuff from BWOF, so I vow to sew up 12 garments this coming year.

As well, I want to sew up a bunch (a minimum of 8) of vintage Vogue Couturier Design, Vogue Americana & Vogue Paris Original patterns. I have the patterns, I have the fabric, now I just need to do it.

I have had my new sewing/embroidery machine for almost a year now and I have yet to embroider anything, so I want to learn how to embroider.

That's it - four resolutions this year. I think all the above are very do-able, so maybe this time next year, I'll have all A+ across the board!!

10 comments:

Nancy K
said...

LOL Good luck on your resolutions. I get a lot of good ideas from your blog Shannon, so keep it coming girl! I think that having written down sewing resolutions is a good idea that I will have to try. By the way, I started my own spread sheet on fabrics. Thanks for the info. Happy New Year.

Your 5:1 ratio made me laugh out loud.Seriously, you accomplished so much this year. This is what matters most, isn't it? You've been brave with all these basics, they're not always very fun, albeit very functional.

Although I didn't set myself any goals last year, I've been reviewing what I've been doing over the year and am working on some resolutions. One is directly inspired from you: catalogue my patterns and fabrics and start planning from there. My patterns are almost all catalogued actually, I started this a few days ago. I'd been meaning to do this for a long time. Thank you so much for giving me the final push to do so, when you posted about your spreadsheets!

You did all of your lovely things and 25 t-shirts for your husband? Oh my, I think you are good, and deserve the A+ on that! I've loved looking at your adorable inspirations and, you made lots of two-fers, matching top and bottoms ~ (note to self) I want to do that also!

Thanks for the inspiration. You have inspired me more than you know to work on my health (again) and to sew with better quality fabrics. Thank you - have a happy new year Shannon. Can't wait to see some modeling shots with Simon. g

First of all, I have to give you mucho A+++ for all the sewing you did for your husband. So, ok, it was not making him a suit, but you sewed a lot of useful clothing for him and that garners big points in my book. (especially since I have shirting fabric sitting there for MY husband which I have not touched)Second, you made a lot of outfits for work. That counts major points as well (see, I can rationalize anything). I think your four resolutions are handle-able, which is also a big thing (big points for controlling the "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" business). So, this is all good. For me, I have "for others" sewing resolutions (construct my daughter's wedding dress before she leaves in March for the UK), "for the house" sewing resolutions (drapes, bedspreads and duvet covers for two bedrooms; a slipcover and an ottoman for my son's room), and "for me" sewing resolutions (learn how to use my new adjustable dress form - no more tops and jackets that are unwearable because the sleeves don't fit correctly). The "for the house" group is just huge - it almost feels like it's crushing, mostly because there is so much fabric that I'll be sewing on the diningroom table in order to take care of all the length. But it is all just length and width issues - not "how do I get this pattern to fit this body" issues, so other than just the sheer time of it, I think I'll be OK.

Now why is it that my name is always mentioned when the purchasing of fabric comes up? huh!? huh?! *LOL* Just 'cause you like Fabric Mart as much as I do doesn't mean that I had anything to do with your 5 bought to 1 sewn ratio! Gawd girl you almost made me spit Mountain Dew into the keyboard! Note to self ~ stop drinking MD when I'm reading blogs and emails!

And here are several facts that you didn't mention when you wrote your stats - that you completed 143projects this year, won the Timmel SWAP competition AND the Timmel Summer Sewing Competition! With all that winning going on I think its okay that you didn't learn to work all of the feet for your sewing machine! :)

I'm a high school chemistry teacher. I have a strange sense of humour & I fancy myself to be quite witty. I love shoes, horror movies, MST3K, Monty Python, musical theatre & I have the uncanny ability to hone in on the most expensive item in any store. I have been sewing since I was 17 years old.